United Nation Conclusion of its Official Visit to United States about Criminal Justice Reform and Police shooting

Submitted By Cephus Uncle Bobby X Johnson
Uncle of Oscar Grant

The United Nations is extremely concerned about the human rights situation of African Americans. The UN representatives visited six cities in the United States. Washington D.C., Baltimore, Jackson -Mississippi, Chicago and New York City, and Oakland CA, by skype at Merritt College, organized by Oscar Grant uncle, Cephus “Uncle Bobby X” Johnson, from 19-29 January 2016.
In addition to these cities, they looked at the most recent and well-known cases of killings of unarmed African Americans, such as the cases of Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Walter Scott, Freddie Gray and Laquan McDonald, the UN Representatives also received information about many other similar cases. The UN representative met with a considerable number of relatives of African Americans killed by police officers that are still seeking justice for their loved ones including Tyron West, Tyron Lewis, Jonathon Sanders, Oscar Grant, Tony Robinson, Marlon Brown, India Kager, Ronald Johnson, Mohamed Bah and Alonso Smith.
This visit was a follow up to the 2010 visit of the UN Representatives of Experts on People of African Descent and included other cities. Hundreds of civil society representative organizations, lawyers and individual from the Black communities shared their concerns and recommendation with the United Nation representative. Numerous human rights defenders and activist reached out to the UN representatives from other parts of the United States that they could not visit. During the visit, the UN representative assessed the situation of Black Americans and people of African descent and gathered information on the forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, Afrophobia, and related intolerance that we face. UN representatives studied the official measures and mechanisms taken to prevent structural racial discrimination and protect victims of racism and hate crimes as well as responses to multiple forms of discrimination. 

The colonial history, the legacy of enslavement, racial subordination and segregation, racial terrorism, and racial inequality in the US remains a serious challenge as there has been no real commitment to reparations and to truth and reconciliation for people of African descent. Despite substantial changes since the end of the enforcement of Jim Crow and the fight for civil rights, ideology ensuring the domination of one group over another, continues to negatively impact the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of African Americans today. The dangerous ideology of white supremacy inhibits social cohesion amongst the US population. Lynching was a form of racial terrorism that has contributed to a legacy of racial inequality that the US must address. Thousands of people of African descent were killed in violent public acts of racial control and domination and the perpetrators were never held accountable.
Contemporary police killings and the trauma it creates are reminiscent of the racial terror lynching of the past. Impunity for state violence has resulted in the current human rights crisis and must be addressed as a matter of urgency.
Racial bias and disparities in the criminal justice system, mass incarceration, and the tough on crime policies has disproportionately impacted African Americans. Mandatory minimum sentencing, disproportionate punishment of African Americans including the death penalty are of grave concern.
The UN Representatives recommends improving reporting of violations involving the excessive use of force and extra-judicial killings by the police, and ensure that reported cases of excessive use of force are independently investigated; that alleged perpetrators are prosecuted and, if convicted, punished with appropriate sanctions; that investigations are re-opened when new evidence becomes available; and that victims or their families are provided with remedy.
The US has a growing human rights movement which has successful advocated for social change. Following the epidemic of racial violence by the police, civil society networks calling for justice together with other activists are strongly advocating for legal and policy reforms and community control over policing and other areas which directly affect African Americans.
Despite the positive measures referred to above, the UN Representatives is extremely concerned about the human rights situation of African Americans.
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